


Behind A Wing

by allineedisaquill



Category: What We Do in the Shadows (TV)
Genre: (with regular Nandor obviously not the bat), Bat!Nandor, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, dummy vampire can only show affection in bat form
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allineedisaquill/pseuds/allineedisaquill
Summary: Nandor has an unfortunate accident whilst in bat form that requires his familiar's help. Nandor realises he quite likes the extra attention and affection he is afforded as the little creature and begins to seek it out with increasing frequency, relying on Guillermo to never bring it up and disturb the peace. It lasts until it doesn't, where Nandor is forced to confront everything.
Relationships: Guillermo de la Cruz/Nandor the Relentless
Comments: 15
Kudos: 90





	Behind A Wing

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks and shoutout to the Nandermo Nerds who kicked this idea around with me before I decided to write it as a fic. I hope it's not *too* silly. Enjoy!

Guillermo was dusting a painting’s frame in the house’s foyer when the fluttering of wings filled the air, followed a moment later by the rustle of fabric as Laszlo and Nadja materialised by the front door. He only paid them a short glance, but his duster paused in mid-air as he did a double-take; Nandor wasn’t with them, but he had left with the married pair of vampires a few hours earlier to soak up the night and pluck a fresh virgin or two.

He wanted to ask after him, unusual as it was that Nandor had stayed out alone, but Laszlo and Nadja were trying and failing to haul open the door and the combined sound of them both made it quite hard to focus on anything else. The door was on his list of things to fix around the house, really it was, but something else always ended up needing his attention first.

“Twist and pull,” Guillermo said, aiming to keep the irritation out of his voice and falling a little short. 

Luckily for him, his advice fell on deaf ears and the door didn’t budge. Nadja fell away from it with a loud, dramatic huff, her arms thrown up before hitting her sides again hard in defeat.

Laszlo pointed a stubby finger at him. “Don’t just stand there, boy. Open the door!” He commanded, thumb of his other hand hooked toward the handle.

Guillermo’s grip tightened on the duster until his knuckles went white. In a matter of seconds, he could snap it in half and plunge the sharp ends into Laszlo and Nadja in rapid succession. The instinct burned under his fingertips, coiled in his gut, and he narrowed his eyes behind his glasses in a hard stare.

“Your pig-shit vampire master has gotten himself all tangled up!” Nadja cried, her painted lips screwing up in glossy purple, one fang visible in her grimace. “All because of his fragile masculinity. And he is absolutely filthy! He smells like the shit pipes of Staten Island.”

All at once, Guillermo’s grip went slack, fire gone from his veins. He frowned. “What do you mean?” It didn’t sound like Nandor was in immediate danger, but concern still edged into his voice. What had his Master gotten himself into this time?

A high-pitched shrieking began on the tail of Guillermo’s question, piercing and distressed and definitely coming from the other side of the thick wood.

Laszlo looked amused and stood back from the door to join his wife, and then he gestured to the door with a grand sweep of his hands, light bouncing off his black nails and assortment of rings. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

Guillermo glanced between the pair once before he approached the door cautiously, the cries loudly persisting. With a swallow, he turned the knob and pulled.

He saw nothing at first, and then his gaze was pulled to the floor by a small and rather pathetic commotion: Nandor, in his bat form, was fruitlessly attempting to free himself from what Guillermo assumed to be literal garbage. His shrieking was more relentless than the vampire himself had been for a long time. Guillermo fought to cover his ears and quietly hated that his human ears could hear the noises that vampires made in bat-form, unlike the ultrasonic sounds of regular bats.

Instead, he crouched on one knee in the doorway. “Hey, Master. What are you doing down there?” He greeted, and if a small amount of amusement slipped into his voice then Nandor was hardly in a position to reprimand him for it, at least not in a way that Guillermo could understand.

The shrieking stopped for half a second and then continued. _“Guillermo! I heard that tone. That is one demerit point for mocking me!_ ”

Guillermo went on obliviously and twisted, speaking over his shoulder. “What happened?”

“The stupid donkey saw us snap up two lovely fresh virgins and thought he’d turn it into a competition,” Nadja explained. “He tried to attack a human and then they swatted him into a big giant dumpster.”

Laszlo looked smug. “Me old chap should have known he was no match for myself and my good lady wife. We’ve got it down to a fine art.”

“Mm, yes,” Nadja agreed. She hooked an arm around her husband’s waist and pulled him in. “Laszlo is my big, strong bear, and Nandor is...well, you can see.” 

Guillermo twisted back and stared into camera one, deadpan and quite done with the both of them, before Nandor’s indignant cries distracted him, small mouth wide open with his fangs pointed skyward.

_“Fucking guys!”_

Guillermo raised his eyebrows at him. “I got it from here,” he mumbled, and that was all the cue Laszlo and Nadja needed to make themselves scarce.

Nandor was caught in some wire mesh, only allowing his wings to carry him to a short hover above the ground before he fell with a soft thwack again. Guillermo hoped the wire hadn’t cut him and caused any serious injury, but he would only know the extent of the damage with a closer inspection.

He made to pick him up and was met with a sharp, startled cry.

_“What are you doing!? Unhand me!”_

He retracted his hands and held them up. “I’m gonna help you, Master, but I gotta get you inside to do that.”

Nandor stilled and seemed to regard him, halting his struggling.

“Can I pick you up? I’ll be careful, promise.”

Small, beady eyes met his, and then Nandor finally made a small noise in the form of a squeak. Guillermo didn’t know how the bat managed it, but he sounded almost embarrassed.

_“If you must.”_

Guillermo took it as an agreement. He mentally cursed himself at how easily his heart went out to the small bat. He’d had his pride injured, after all, and so he would have to tread extra carefully with him. Thankfully, when he went to scoop Nandor up a second time, he made no sound or contest and half-hopped into his warm, waiting palm.

“There we go,” Guillermo spoke softly as he stood, careful not to jostle or drop the small creature. He held him close to his chest and closed the door, bringing him inside the safety of their house.

The feeling of fur and leathery wings in his hand was unusual but not unwelcome as he made his way to the bathroom on the second floor. He took it slow with glances down at the bat every so often, who had subtly shifted closer until he could curl defensively against Guillermo’s jumper. Guillermo’s heart twisted.

Nandor made a small, offhanded squeak and stared straight ahead as if in a huff.

_“So embarrassing.”_

Guillermo pulled on the light switch in the bathroom and placed Nandor gingerly down beside the sink. He didn’t go without a small bit of resistance first, not at all that keen to trade the warmth of the human for the cold counter surface. He made no small show of expressing it.

_“This is less than satisfactory, Guillermo!”_

The familiar busied himself, digging out the small first-aid box from the cupboard below and flicking up the lid. “Let’s get you cleaned up, huh?”

A squeak, snappy and sharp. _“Get on with it, then!”_

“Hey, no need to be rude,” Guillermo said, but faltered when he pulled out a pair of small scissors that caused the bat to scurry madly in retreat. His little claws tapped on the counter in his backwards rush and he wailed again at the sharp, offending object.

 _“Watch where you are pointing those!_ ”

Guillermo offered him a small, reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Master. I just need to cut the wire off of you. I’ll be really gentle; you can trust me.”

For a second, Guillermo thought Nandor would refuse, but then the little bat slowly hobbled back towards him, albeit apprehensively.

“That’s good, thank you,” Guillermo praised warmly, because if he knew anything, it was how susceptible Nandor was to praise; the vampire would take any chance to preen, as indeed most vampires would.

He knew the majority of the mesh was concentrated around his wings. A few snips and it would fall away easily, freeing him.

“Could you turn around for me?” He asked.

Another few cries. Nandor stopped in his tracks. _“Turn my back while you wield a weapon!? Do you know nothing of combat? I thought I had taught you better than this.”_

“I won’t hurt you,” Guillermo insisted. “I just need to see your wings so I can cut the wire. I’ll be quick. You’re being _very_ fearless right now, Master. I’m impressed.”

Nandor tilted his little head, considering him. Guillermo feared he might read his tone as patronising, but Nandor made no further sound and slowly turned on the spot with pats of his tiny bat feet.

As promised, Guillermo made short work of his Master’s bindings and once free, he gave an experimental flap of his wings. Guillermo flinched as the action sent flecks of dirt his way. They landed on his jumper and glasses and he slid the latter off his face, wiping them down. He hadn’t realised the layer of grime and dirt covering the small bat’s body was quite so bad.

That issue became secondary when Nandor tried to beat his wings a second time and cried out in pain, hovering for half a second before plopping back down. 

“It hurts?” Guillermo asked with a frown. Cutting him free should have been enough to enable Nandor to transform back. Could he not heal himself as well in bat form? Was the injury simply too substantial for him to change? He couldn’t ask, which was frustrating. “Can you show me, Master?”

The small bat flinched and hissed. _“You will be making it worse!”_

“I won’t touch you without asking first. I just need to see how bad it is,” Guillermo insisted, his voice lowered to a soothing volume. “I mean, I can always ask Colin Robinson to help you instead…” It was a cheap tactic, he knew.

Another hiss, and then Nandor relented. _“Yeesh. Alright. Just be quick.”_

“Thank you,” Guillermo mumbled, watching as the little creature once again turned to reveal his back and wings. He stretched them out a little, releasing a small noise of pain, and that’s when Guillermo spotted it: a small trail of blood oozing from a nick where his right wing met his body. It was caked in dirt, just like the rest of him. “Well, it doesn’t look too bad,” he said in relief, “but we should probably get it cleaned and disinfected so it can heal.”

Nandor did a few hops to spin himself around, facing Guillermo again. As he went, he let out a series of little clicks. _“I must bathe at once.”_

“How about a bath, hm? We can fill the sink here.”

The bat tilted his head and uttered a sound. _“That is what I just suggested.”_

Guillermo began running the water into the sink, letting it fill with a mix of hot and cold. He added some of his own bubble bath to the mix (for sensitive skin, so he assumed it would be fine), making the water soapy the way he knew Nandor liked. He rolled up his jumper sleeves and tested it with the back of a hand after a few minutes. When he was satisfied that it was the perfect temperature, he gestured to Nandor. 

“In you get, Master,” he said gently. “It should feel good.”

Nandor hobbled to the edge of the sink and peered over, inspecting the water. Encouraged by the welcoming steam that coiled up around him, he tried to lower himself in with care, but his claws were no match for the smooth, slippery surface of the porcelain. He slid quickly and unceremoniously into the water with a cry and a splash, droplets and suds flying up and out on impact.

“Oops,” Guillermo said with a small giggle.

Nandor hissed when he emerged from the water with white, foamy bubbles atop his head and the tips of his large ears. _“One more demerit point!”_

“Sorry, you’re right,” Guillermo held his hands up in surrender again at the bat’s scowl. “Very serious. I shouldn’t laugh.” 

A few disgruntled clicks. _“That is what I thought.”_

Guillermo grabbed a small washcloth and dipped it into the water. “You ready?” He asked, to which Nandor remained still and surprisingly patient. “Alright, here I go. I’ll try not to hurt you, but yell at me if I do, okay?” He rarely invited his Master’s disapproval - in fact, this time would be a first - but he would allow it considering Nandor had no other way to communicate.

He began sweeping the soft, wet cloth over the little bat’s head. He went carefully, avoiding his eyes, and Guillermo found he was holding his breath in expectation of Nandor recoiling from him. A few minutes went by, the bat idly watching him as he alternated between dipping the cloth and swiping at the grime, and so Guillermo gradually relaxed along with the creature beneath his fingertips.

“Very good, Master,” he praised, pleased at the clean fur that began to stand out in contrast to the parts of him that were still dirty.

His chest swelled with something fond when Nandor turned around without asking, allowing Guillermo renewed access to his wings. He wiped them down tenderly, taking extra care to dab rather than rub at the small cut. With the dirt gone, he could confirm that the wound was merely superficial, the blood having made it look worse than it was. The bleeding had stopped, too, which was even better. He cleaned the area until the fur and wings looked good as new.

“It looks much better already,” he told Nandor, and he knew then, deep down, that Nandor could have transformed back. For all he knew, he could have returned to his human form long before then, but for some indiscernible reason his Master was allowing him to continue with the act of bathing his bat form. Nandor and his intentions were a mystery at the best of times, especially to Guillermo, so he simply took it for what it was. “When we’re done, I’ll put this nice cream on it to stop it getting infected. Sound good?” His voice was thick.

Nandor clicked at him softly, much less irate than the previous times. _“That will be fine. Continue.”_

Some of the dirt went deeper, stuck in the roots of his fur and therefore requiring a much more thorough scrub. Guillermo plucked a spare toothbrush from beside the sink and loaded up the soft bristles with soap. When he began to massage the brush against Nandor’s head, his beady eyes closed and Guillermo swore he pressed gently up into the ministrations.

A small smile tugged at his mouth. “You like that, huh?”

It earned him an admonishing click with his little bat tongue, but Nandor quickly settled again and, in a brazen show, shoved his head much more firmly up against the bristles.

Guillermo didn’t comment further, but his smile grew as he let the little mammal indulge in the pampering. Watching him close his eyes and wriggle happily, it was hard for him to bear in mind that this was still his Master; the vampire who had scolded and berated and belittled him so many times. It was difficult to imagine such a sweet creature causing him so much heartache and pain, especially when he brushed his soft fur against Guillermo’s hand in what could have only been a deliberate act.

He made some quiet, pleased chirps. _“This is very good, Guillermo. I will retract the demerit points.”_

Before long, the water began to cool.

“Alright, let’s get you dry,” Guillermo said. He lowered an open palm beside the small bat and couldn’t help the warmth that flooded him when Nandor hopped on without a fuss. He shook instinctively, spraying water at the human who just laughed and wiped his face with the back of a hand.

Guillermo used a small hand towel to dry him down, his small, circular motions seeming to relax the bat further. He closed his eyes once again, enjoying the gentle caress of the material against his fur and wings. He didn't even complain when Guillermo rubbed a small amount of antiseptic cream over the miniscule cut.

The only thing that remained was to drop Nandor off in his room where he could transform back, likely wishing to do so in private after the whole ordeal. As Guillermo carried him there, he found he was almost _sad_ that he would have to let the bat go. He wished he could keep him that way for a while longer, soft and happy under his care. Nandor would never bring it up, he knew. It would be as though the quiet understanding they had shared never happened. He would be expected to forget how Nandor had trusted him and pushed up into his touch.

How very typical it was of their relationship that the most affection they had ever shared was while Nandor was a _bat._

Guillermo left him perched on his chaise lounge amongst the many fur pelts.

“There you go,” he said quietly.

Nandor simply looked up at him with a slight tilt of his head, small eyes impossibly larger and more inky as they blinked slowly. Guillermo wondered what he was thinking. He wished he could understand the quiet clicks the little bat made in his throat.

_“...thank you, Guillermo.”_

“I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Guillermo offered, and then he turned and left. The door clicked softly shut behind him.


End file.
